What version of historical change do you believe in and why? & Podcast link

I believe in the “post” view. Because internet creates and builds network. It connects people from different location and backgrounds. It provides fast and instant communication. People from different location are able to share ideas. It also offers a platform for individuals to send out news that can reach almost everywhere in the world.  Internet makes a great contribution to reforming the society for the information age.

Here is a podcast I found. I think it is interesting that it talks about free thinking in art creation. http://arts.podcast.com/show/19505/Arts-and-Ideas/

What determines the structure of a folksonomy

  Folksonomies are more about browsing than finding and a great deal of information can be found in this way.Also, folksonomies are created by users. This makes them relatively cheap and highly scalable, unlike more formal methods of adding metadata. Often users find that it is not a case of ‘folksonomy or professional classification’ but ‘folksonomy or nothing’. Futhermore, folksonomies is created from community and feedback. The creation process is quick and responsive to user needs, new words can become well used in days. I think content majorly determines the structure of Folksonomies. Because the users themselves selecte the categorization they wish to attach to their articles.

Wikis

The definition of digital divide is “gap between those who own or have access to a computer and the Internet and those who do not, often as a result of socio-economic factors”. It is a problem that we should take some concern with.  Many people up to today do not have the access to a computer or internet. The people of remote towns and villages do not have any knowledge of what is going on in the town or village next to them. Without any knowledge of the world outside, it is hard for them to make any progress. They are not able to receive proper aid and support from the rest of the world. Therefore the countries with more advanced technology should help those who are behind gain access to computers and the Internet.

I think Wikipedia is a great place if someone just would like to have some basic knowledge about a topic or concept. Through Wikipedia search, one can quickly understand the rough meaning of a new term. Ever since I entered University, every professor and TA has told me that Wikipedia is an unreliable non-academic source. I do not think anyone who is doing a serious academic research would use Wikipedia as a reference. If he did find something meaningful on Wikipedia, he would check the credibility of the information by more research on the topic from other resources. Therefore, I think Wikipedia is a place for convenient surface understanding of a topic for those who are not intending to do any deep research about the topic in the first place. So I do not think Wikipedia leads to a false information problem.

The digital divide

The definition of digital divide is “gap between those who own or have access to a computer and the Internet and those who do not, often as a result of socio-economic factors”. It is a problem that we should take some concern with.  Many people up to today do not have the access to a computer or internet. The people of remote towns and villages do not have any knowledge of what is going on in the town or village next to them. Without any knowledge of the world outside, it is hard for them to make any progress. They are not able to receive proper aid and support from the rest of the world. Therefore the countries with more advanced technology should help those who are behind gain access to computers and the Internet.

Grandparents’ communication and Web 3.0

My grandparents communicated mainly by letters. At that time, my mother was away in another city for business, they communicated by sending each other letters. Letters were an important part of their lives. When my grandparents brought home letters from the post office in the afternoon, the whole family would be very excited. Reading the letters and looking at my mother’s hand writing, my grandparents would start picturing her living, working condition and the friends around her. Each letter was often very long, describing small details of everyday adventure. After finishing reading, my grandparents would write a letter in response. My mother also shared the same joy as she received words from home. Though the transportation of letters took at least a few days, they felt connected by the words of each letter.

In contrary to that, I have not handwritten a note to anyone in a very long time. I contact with friends, colleagues, and families mostly by phone, text message, email, facebook, or MSN. Wed 3.0 has become a part of my life. Now we can talk to anyone anywhere at anytime about anything.